


Like Binary Stars

by itsthesa



Category: Godzilla - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, M/M, another rodorah baby fic, momthra to the rescue, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-06-09 17:59:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19481092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsthesa/pseuds/itsthesa
Summary: Mothra has always had a soft spot for twins. Their minds resonate with her, for some reason.(Or: I had to write a fic about my rodorah fanchild because at least ONE of them needs to get a happy ending, dammit. let the big gay kaiju family live in peace )





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [privatepenne](https://archiveofourown.org/users/privatepenne/gifts).



> So i finally did the thing!! or at least, the beginning of the thing. i hope u were not expecting too much bc I'm really... not a writer. i just vomit words sometimes lmao. i TRY to make it look like i have one of those artsy, poetic writing styles, but actually i'm just extremely ADD and cant stick to a single viewpoint for more than 200 words. i apologize .

The night is clear and quiet. The only sound for miles is the whisper of calm waves breaking on the shore.

Mothra is here again. She has perched herself, as usual, at the tip of the promontory on the island's southeast side, where she sits and stares out at the horizon. She's been doing this since she last hatched-- coming down to this same spot and staring for hours, like something out there is calling her. Like she's desperate to regain her wings so she can follow it.

The King of Monsters watches her idly from his resting spot in the shallow water. As much as he loves the ocean, right now he wishes the newly reborn queen would stay further inland where there are places to hide. He can't relax when she's out here, all exposed and vulnerable.

He doesn't know why she keeps coming here, either. He lacks her sixth sense, so he's blind and deaf to whatever it is that must be drawing her attention. But that's fine, he thinks. He doesn't need to know everything. He's learned by now that Mothra always has her reasons, and he supposes he will find out what they are when the time comes.

\---

They are still too small to fly, but Agni more than makes up for it in boldness and insatiable curiosity. Lately, Rodan has been finding it increasingly difficult to keep them in their nest. Often, he'll return from a hunt only to find that they've managed to climb out of the caldera and wander halfway down the mountainside, their scales bright and shining in the sun and probably visible for miles. 

He'll shriek and pounce on them and scare them so badly that they'll cry. Then he'll drag them back to the safety of the nest and do his best to cover up their gleaming scales with soot, and shout at them to never wander off again.

Today has been one such day.

They're ignoring each other now, facing apart at opposite sides of the nest. Tempers still smoldering like the lava glowing through the floor cracks.

Rodan always sinks into a gloomy mood after they argue, because damn it, he's just trying to keep the kid _alive_. If not for the long run, then at least for a little while longer. But it's so hard, and Agni seems so determined to fight him every step of the way. Since the day they hatched he's tried his best to teach them to fear the outside world, but everything he says just seems to fly right over their two little heads.

Inevitably, he always starts thinking, why bother?

Why bother when he knows the kid will never survive to adulthood anyway? When even if by some miracle they do, they'll be an outcast at best?

(Why bother, when they just look more and more like Ghidorah with every passing day and each time he notices it feels like getting another stinger through the chest?)

'Why do we have to hide all the time?' Agni asks, breaking the silence. Their tone is cautious, but with a clear undercurrent of frustration.

Rodan doesn't look at them. 'Because no one knows you're here,' he says, 'And we have to keep it that way.'

\---

She leaves the island as soon as her new wings are dry. 

Now that she's in her adult form, Godzilla no longer needs to stay nearby to protect her, and he will certainly be heading out to complete a long overdue patrol of his territory. To see what has happened in his absence.

He will certainly be stopping by Isla de Mara, sooner or later.

Mothra has thought long and hard about this, ever since she came back to herself inside her egg. Ever since she felt the blooming light of the twin minds half a world away, shining like binary stars.

She has considered all her options carefully. Now, it is time to act.

\---

It feels like it's going to rain.

Godzilla is standing on the shore, stone-still but for the massive tail slowly swishing back and forth behind him. Just ahead, Rodan blocks his path to the mountain.

(To the _nest_.)

He's always known Rodan to be something of a coward in the past. The sort of titan who screeches too loud and charges recklessly into battle only because he's confident in his ability to escape if needed. He's never been the sort who'd truly stay and fight to the death.

He seems different now. There's an unwavering resolve in his eyes that was never there before. Godzilla supposes that maybe having offspring can change a person.

The king takes a single step forward: a warning, a last opportunity to back down. Rodan tenses, the plates on his neck and shoulders raising like ruffled feathers, but he doesn't move. Doesn't look away.

Godzilla huffs. Shame.

He crouches and prepares to charge forward, to put this poor misguided creature down.

Rodan spreads his wings and screeches his futile challenge. 

Lightning flashes in the distance, and rain starts to fall.

\--

Agni is perched on the rim of the caldera, watching the confrontation in the distance. This is the first time they've seen another titan besides their parent, and it's a sobering experience. Once upon a time, Rodan had seemed larger than life to them, with talons that could close around their whole body and wings broad enough to black out the sky.

Now, next to the massive thing that has risen from the ocean, their parent looks small. Ordinary.

'Weak,' Agni thinks with sudden despair, as the two titans charge at each other and clash.

Still, their parent fights like a creature possessed. The larger titan tries several times to swat him away like a mere nuisance and simply bowl past him, but Rodan keeps tearing at him with such ferocity and persistence that the other is forced to take him seriously. 

The larger titan -- who Agni suddenly realizes must be the fearsome 'King' their parent has occasionally hinted about -- lets out a bellow of fury that seems to shake the earth. Agni watches him slam their parent through the remains of a human-nest, throwing up a cloud of dust. 

For a moment they can see nothing. Then the dust parts from their parent's frantic wing beats, and they see him struggling uselessly in the King's grip. He is thrashing, clawing and biting, but the King holds him fast. A heavy foot comes down on one wing, pinning it. One clawed hand reaches down to grip Rodan's throat, while the other shields the King's face from sharp talons.

Agni is holding their breath, waiting-- praying-- for their parent to break free. They know if he can break free, he can still fight. He'll still have a chance. 

Then a blue light sparks to life at the tip of the king's tail, and suddenly the world slows down. 

Agni does not know what that light is, but the sight of it creeping up the huge titan's dorsal spines strikes pure, primal fear into their heart.

Before Rodan had left, he'd ordered them to stay hidden no matter what. And there'd been such frantic urgency behind it, that for once they hadn't even thought to question why. All they knew was that their parent was frightened, and that meant they were frightened. So they had promised to stay hidden no matter what, and they had meant it.

In return, their parent had promised to come back soon. He had promised everything would be okay.

As Agni watches that terrifying blue light climb up the back of the king's neck and start to build in his throat, they know with absolute certainty that their parent lied.

Suddenly, they are _furious_.

They throw their wings open, leaning into the rain. They've only just learned to fly, and they aren't sure how they'll fare in a rapidly approaching storm, but they're about to find out.

They sprint forward as hard as they can and launch theirself from the edge of the caldera. 

For a split second they're weightless. Then their wings catch the wind much harder than they expect, and it nearly throws them heads-over-tail. They flap frantically, half-flying and half-tumbling down the mountainside, and it's only by sheer luck that they manage to right theirself before they crash. Their wings finally adjust to the wind, and they glide along close to the ground for some distance before they feel confident enough to climb higher. Then they're soaring into the storm.

\--

As Mothra flies beside her enemy, she reflects on how things came to this. A few years ago, she could have never imagined calling a truce with them. They are destruction incarnate, a being beyond reasoning with. Even now, she knows they could strike her down with ease at any moment, should they choose to. 

But they don't. They don't so much as glance at her. She can feel their thoughts, laser-focused on the island ahead.

She thinks-- hopes-- she is doing the right thing.

\---

They don't make it in time.

It's hard to see now, under the dark clouds and the lashing rain, but when it happens, it's unmistakable. A pillar of blue fire-- bluer than any natural thing should be-- erupts from the King's mouth, and their parent, still pinned down in the rubble, takes the full force of it. 

Agni screams, but they can't make theirself fly any faster.

\---

By the time the beam fizzles out, Rodan has stopped struggling. Godzilla lets go of him and steps back to survey the damage. He's not sure if his opponent is dead or not, and doesn't particularly care. He has nothing against Rodan personally; he just has a job to do. Once he's satisfied that the fire titan is out of the fight for good, he turns his attention back toward the mountain.

\---

Lightning flashes just as the King turns in Agni's direction. 

He sees them.

They can feel his gaze hit them like a physical blow. Their wings seize up, and their mind goes blank. The righteous fury that had propelled them out here evaporates in the span of a single breath.

They're alone. They've been seen. They're too close now to turn back, they're moving too fast. The wind is too strong for them. They've made a mistake, they're going to die--

\---

For a split second the sky is lit up, and Godzilla sees the silhouette of a little titan struggling to fly through the rain. 

It's too far away to see clearly, but it definitely has two heads, and that's enough to send the King into a rage. Until this moment, he'd only had a strong suspicion about what Rodan was hiding out here, but now... now he _knows_. 

His furious roar drowns out the thunder.

\---

Agni loses control. It's too hard to fly in this wind-- they don't have the strength or the skill they'd need to stop suddenly or double back, but they _can't_ keep going. Pure self preservation won't let them. And that split second of indecision is all it takes for the wind to overpower them and send them spiralling toward the earth.

Their wings flail pathetically as they try to control their descent. They don't know if they can survive a fall from this high. What were they thinking, coming out here? Why didn't they listen?

\---

Another lightning flash, and Godzilla sees the small titan being tossed like a leaf in the wind as it plummets from the sky.

He takes a second to estimate where it's going to land, and charges forward.

\---

They hit the ground hard, but at enough of an angle that they're able to roll and skid for several wingspans before stopping. Their mind is blank white with pain. They can't tell what they hurt, or how badly-- are their wings broken? Is their skin torn off? Are they still in one piece? They don't know. Everything hurts.

One... two... Two sets of eyes open, both heads still ringing from the impact. Good. They're okay.

They have no time to feel relief. The ground is shaking with gigantic footfalls, and they look up to see the King charging towards them with open jaws.

Adrenaline floods their body and numbs their pain. Their legs kick and their wing muscles twitch frantically, desperate to move, to escape. Their body refuses to work. 

They watch, unblinking, as the King closes in on them. They know they're going to die.

Then, the sky splits open.

\---

The small titan isn't moving; it's either too hurt or too scared to flee. Good, Godzilla thinks. Its death will be quick and painless. A few more strides and he'll be close enough to snap its necks between his teeth--

Something massive suddenly crashes down on him. It takes him by surprise, and he barely has time to brace himself before he hits the ground. Sharp claws dig into his hide just below his shoulders, powerful legs pinning him down under a tremendous weight. He feels the gust of wind from wings that can birth hurricanes.

Lightning strikes, and Ghidorah shrieks a dissonant, furious song.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this is ending up being longer than i expected lol

The King's fall shakes the earth. His head hits the ground barely a wingspan from his intented target, jaws slamming shut from the impact.

For a moment, everything is still. It takes Agni about a dozen rapid heartbeats to realize that they've escaped death. Then their strength comes flooding back to them and they scramble backwards, putting several more spans of distance between theirself and the King before they feel safe enough to stop.

It was too close, they think. One more step, and they'd be dead.

But... they're not.

Tentatively, Agni's attention shifts from the fallen King himself to the huge clawed feet now holding him down. The two spiked tails lashing in agitation, the vast wings that had just torn open the sky.

Agni dares to look up... and up, and up.

Three golden heads look back.

\---

Ghidorah does not know what they were expecting, exactly. Honestly, they hardly even know why they're _here_. They're still recovering from their last encounter with the big lizard, after all-- they aren't in any condition to fight him again. Not yet. If they had any sense, they would still be in hiding, biding their time until they're back to their full strength.

Yet here they are. Because for whatever reason, when that infuriating bug came looking for them (is she alive again _already_?) and told them that they had sired a child, all rational thought had left them. They were halfway to Isla de Mara before they knew it, driven by something ancient and powerful and long forgotten.

But now they're here, and their senses have abruptly returned to them. What was the point of this, again?

They stare down at the little creature in front of them, unsure what to make of it. It can't be very old-- it would barely come up to their waist if they weren't currently perched on the back of a big, fat lizard. It does look superficially like them, they suppose: metallic scales and draconic heads, though its color is more coppery and its muzzles are distinctly beak-like.

It's small, they think.

It's weak.

It stares at them, its two sets of eyes bright and unafraid.

...It's _theirs_.

Unexpectedly, something blindingly bright wells up inside them. It rises in their throats like lightning, and for some senseless reason they want to roar it to the sky:

This little thing is _alive_ and it's _theirs_.

Then, all at once, the moment is broken.

The big lizard suddenly thrashes under their feet, throwing them off balance. Claws sink into their leg, and they screech in pain and outrage. Ah, that's right, they think-- they have a fight to finish.

\---

From where he's laying, Rodan can't see much of anything. Just the rain pouring from the grey-black sky, and the jagged edges of some broken human nests.

For a minute there, he'll admit, he'd wished he couldn't see anything at all-- When Godzilla had turned and walked away from him, and he'd realized with sudden terrible clarity that he couldn't stop what was about to happen no matter how hard he tried... right then, he'd wished he couldn't see or hear or think.

But then huge gold wings had swept across the sky, and he'd heard an otherworldly tri-toned roar that he never expected to hear again. And now he _needs_ to see what's happening out there. He needs to get up, to _do something_.

He's battered and broken and exhausted, and just lifting a wing takes a monumental effort, but he tries with everything he has left. Bits of rubble slide off of him as he struggles to push himself up, little by little. If he can just get his feet under him, he thinks, then he can make it.

One wing is screaming in particularly intense pain, and he can't seem to move it properly. He keeps it held up, tries not to let it touch anything as he awkwardly, agonizingly, hauls himself upright. Starts to scrape his way out of the heap of twisted metal and concrete.

Everything is slick with rain. He places a foot wrong, and some structure collapses under his weight. He stumbles, hits his broken wing, shrieks in pain and frustration. He's too slow, too weak. He's taking too long. What is he even doing?

What does he think he's _going_ to do?

_Help?_

He couldn't help Ghidorah even at his full strength. He couldn't protect his own child. Now, like this, what use is he to anyone? He stops and hangs his head, suddenly too tired to continue. He doesn't even know if what he saw was real; for all he knows, he's gone delirious from pain and exhaustion and his mind just decided to take pity on him and show him something beautiful.

And it doesn't matter either way, does it? If Ghidorah really is alive, then they certainly don't need his help. And if not...

If not...

The rest of the thought escapes him, as a sudden realization grounds him firmly back in reality:

the rain has stopped.

He opens his eyes. No, he thinks, not stopped. He still sees it falling, still hears it pattering around him . He just can't feel it hitting him anymore.

Puzzled, he lifts his head, and sees a delicate, colorful wing extended over him.

'Hello, Rodan,' Mothra says.

\---

The two titans are more evenly matched than Agni thought they'd be. At first, the golden one looked so much bigger and more impressive, they'd just naturally assumed the lizard king would be no match for it. But after its initial surprise attack, it seemed to quickly lose its upper hand.

Now, Agni can't even tell who's winning.

The combatants are grappling viciously, locked in a tangle of necks and claws and teeth. The golden one flaps its wings and throws its weight forward, and the lizard king is forced back a step. Then he digs in his heels and grips one of the serpentine necks and _twists_ , and the golden one quickly retreats, tearing itself out of the king's grasp. It earns several long gashes on that neck, and the head belonging to it roars in defiance. The king charges forward, pressing his advantage, and the golden one braces itself for another clash.

Agni isn't sure what to do. Part of them reflexively wants to rush in to help, but...

_No, not again. We can't do that again._

They feel a surge of anger at theirself.

_What are we, a coward?_

Tentatively, they spread their wings. They still hurt from their fall. Now that the adrenaline has started to wear off, they can feel every bump and bruise and scrape they got from it. It reminds them how close they just came to death.

The fight seems to be slowly moving away from them, as if they've been forgotten. They could get away, they realize. They could fly back to the nest without being noticed. Who would know?

Before they can reach a decision, a faint keening cry reaches them through the sounds of the storm and the battle.

They know that call: it's their parent's _'come back here right now'_ call. Usually it means they're in big trouble, and they try to pretend that they didn't hear it. Now, they fly toward it like death is chasing them.

\---

Godzilla is not stupid. If he were, he would never have lived this long. He knows that Ghidorah is leading him away from the little one on purpose. But that's fine. He still has decades before the hatchling will become any sort of real threat; he can always deal with it another day.

Ghidorah is weak _now_.

They're doing all they can to hide it, but Godzilla sees the signs. They're being careful, staying on the defensive, trying to conserve energy. They haven't even used their lightning once. They probably wouldn't have risked challenging him in this state if it weren't for their offspring being threatened.

(And isn't that a curious phenomenon: Ghidorah doing something selfless!)

It's an opportunity he can't afford to waste. He doesn't know how Ghidorah managed to survived their last fight, but he'll make sure they don't do it again.

He surges forward suddenly, trying to throw his opponent off balance. When they stumble, he quickly turns and bashes them with his tail. Their wings flail, trying to stop theirself from falling. Godzilla takes the chance to retreat a few steps, putting some distance between them.

He needs a moment to charge his Fire.

When Ghidorah steadies theirself and sees what he's doing, their own electricity finally sparks to life, arcing wildly across their scales. They're getting desperate; they know they're losing.

Godzilla already feels the Fire building in the back of his throat, focused and pressurized. He crouches, preparing to rush back into the fight. At a close enough range, the beam should be powerful enough to take the middle head clean off...

That's when he feels Mothra alight on his back. And before he can wonder what she's doing, a sudden sharp pain shoots through his neck.

\--

She didn't want to do this, but she supposes it was unavoidable. As a rule, Mothra prefers to avoid violence whenever possible-- that's why she took this whole crazy chance to begin with, after all. But before there can be peace, she first needs to get these two stubborn idiots to _listen_.

So she lands on her King's back and, without a moment's hesitation, digs her pointy front feet deep into his gills.

The reaction is instant. He howls and thrashes his head, and his Fire bursts out wild and unfocused, missing Ghidorah completely.

He roars in outrage and turns to swipe at her (and that's fair-- she deserves it-- but she'll take his scolding later). She leaps and hovers just out of his reach, turning a hard stare toward their mutual enemy.

'Yield, Ghidorah,' she says.

\---

Well, this is unexpected. Ghidorah never would've imagined they'd be _glad_ to see the little bug queen interfere in one of their fights, but this is a day of many firsts, it seems.

True, she had approached them asking for a truce, but they hadn't expected her to go so far as to hurt her precious king. The look of betrayal on his face is going to be one of their favorite memories for a long time.

It almost manages to soften the blow of what comes next.

_Yield,_ she said.

The very thought of it makes their stomach turn. They are the Golden Demise. They are death song of three storms, they are feared across galaxies. They do not _yield_.

Maybe they aren't quite at their full power, but they don't _need_ it to deal with these inferior creatures. Godzilla's victory last time was a fluke. If not for the humans' help and the bug queen's sacrifice, he wouldn't have stood a chance against them.

No, they don't need to yield. All they need to do is make sure they kill both the king and queen at once.

They gather their strength, and feel the lightning start to sing in their throats.

'Don't,' Mothra says. She's perched on the king's head now, having apparently reached some kind of understanding with him.

For his part, the big lizard still looks furious, his claws clenched and nostrils flared, itching to resume the fight. ' _Do_ ,' the look in his eyes says.

\---

The wind has died down somewhat, and despite the ache in their wings, Agni is able to fly high enough to spot their parent in the maze of human nests. He's managed to crawl out from the pile of rubble he'd been blasted into, but he hasn't made it very far. He looks hurt.

He's still calling out for them, hasn't seen them yet. Agni calls back.

\---

The dust from Mothra's wings has numbed the pain somewhat, and it gave Rodan at least enough strength to pull himself out of the rubble. But his wing is still broken and his joints are stiff from the cold rain, and he's definitely not about to get anywhere in a hurry.

He watches Mothra fly off towards the fight (and he can see them out there, now: the two Kings, one tough and rugged and scarred, the other golden and magnificent and _alive_ ) and he tries not to think about the last time he was left in this position.

Instead, he calls for his child.

There's no way they'll be able to hear him if they're still back at the nest, but he has a gut feeling they're not. And sure enough, after a few more calls, he hears a faint reply. He looks up to see the little copper-colored titan flying clumsily towards him, and he's simultaneously overjoyed and furious.

Agni stumbles a bit when they land, but they don't fall. Rodan bumps both of their heads with his beak, half affectionate and half scolding. 'What do you think you're doing out here, stupid?'

It doesn't come out as harsh as he means it to. He just doesn't have it in him to yell at them right now. Still, one of their heads draws back, looking offended. 'You called for us!'

He can't even stay mad at them, he's so glad they're okay. 'And if you stayed where I told you, you wouldn't have heard me,' he says halfheartedly. He tries to wrap his good wing around them, to pretend he can still do something to protect them, and he realizes abruptly that they're almost as big as him. When did that happen?

They lean into the embrace anyway, like a hatchling, ducking their heads to make theirself smaller.

The rain is letting up.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> soo i finally finished this (maybe)?  
> i apologise for any jarring inconsistency. i am still learning how to do the writing thing, and i naturally had to go and write an interaction between two characters who don't know each other's names AND both use 'they' pronouns in the plural sense.

The rain has slowed to a drizzle.

All three of Ghidorah's mouths crackle with lightning. The big lizard and the bug queen are still staring them down, waiting for their decision: fight or yield.

As though they'd waste an opportunity like this. It's a free shot-- a chance to regain the upper hand. If they throw everything they have into this one attack, they might still be able to win this fight. The choice couldn't be clearer.

Yet... for some reason, they're hesitating.

'We do not yield,' Ichi says, trying to hold on to their suddenly wavering conviction. 'We will _never_ yield.'

The bug queen's antennae twitch, her cold eyes staring through them. (They've always hated those eyes-- the way they look both dead-blank and all-knowing at the same time.) 'Rodan yielded,' she says.

It's an unexpected statement, but they definitely _don't_ flinch. Because they definitely _haven't_ been wondering what became of their ~~mate~~ ~~partner~~ ~~beta~~ _servant_ ever since they fled back to their frozen wasteland at the bottom of the world. And they definitely _don't_ feel a twist of betrayal, deep down in their cold heart where no light should be able to reach. 'Then he's a coward and a traitor,' Ichi hisses.

'He is neither,' Mothra says simply. 'He did what was necessary to protect your child. Is that cowardly? Is that traitorous?'

They snarl, flaring their wings in frustration. The lizard king braces for an attack, but Mothra doesn't so much as blink. Their show of intimidation is hollow, and she knows it.

They have no argument.

_He did what was necessary to protect your child._

The words echo in their heads. That's right-- their child. They'd been so caught up in the fight, they'd almost forgotten what had driven them here in the first place: the mad, primal sense of purpose that overrode their common sense and sent them rushing into a battle they knew they weren't ready for. It wasn't to challenge the lizard king for supremacy; it was to protect their child.

'Courage takes many forms, Ghidorah,' Mothra continues. 'Sometimes it means risking your life. And sometimes it means sacrificing your pride. Rodan has proven himself capable of both. Are you?'

Their muscles tense, suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to tear this bug apart. As if just backing them into a corner weren't bad enough, she dares to _patronize_ them as well? They clench their teeth to keep from vaporizing her on the spot. If they were at their best, they could crush both her and the lizard king into the dirt, and then how far could she get with her little mind games?

But still, even in their rage, they hold back. Because, loathe as they are to admit it... they aren't at their best. Not even close. They can roar and posture and threaten all they want, but in the end, they have to face the truth: if they keep fighting in this condition, the odds are not in their favor. They are the only thing standing between their child and death. If they fight and lose...

...They can't take the chance.

One at a time, the lightning dies in their throats.

There is a long, tense silence, before the lizard king huffs and slowly relaxes his stance. Mothra nods sagely.

They feel numb. Distantly, they're furious and ashamed and disgusted with theirself. But they've made their choice, and somehow there's an unexpected sense of peace in that. Now they just have to find the nerve to kill their pride. The only precious thing they've ever had besides each other; the only thing they could ever take with them when they left behind a ruined planet.

They look at the lizard king -- small and fat and ugly and wholly inferior to them -- and see the expectation in his eyes.

They aren't sure they can do it.

The sky over the island is starting to clear, a few weak rays of sunlight already peeking through the clouds. As Ghidorah stands there in the last traces of their fading storm, contemplating their decision, something metallic glints in the distance. San notices it first, and then other two feel his attention on it and follow his gaze.

Past the lizard king and the bug queen, at the end of a trail of crushed human nests, they see a small two-headed titan sitting among the wreckage, a patch of sun shining on its red-gold scales.

For an instant, they're relieved; they'd lost track of the little thing during the fight, and they're glad to see it still in one piece.

Then they notice the larger shape the child is huddled up against, almost perfectly camouflaged by the volcanic landscape, and something inside them lurches. Their thoughts scatter like light through a prism.

_'We hate him/We failed him/We missed him.'_

But that irrational, protective instinct that first drove them here is tugging at them again, and their conflicted thoughts don't matter. They have three minds, but only one heart, and it says: _Go to your child. Go to your ~~beta~~ ~~partner~~ mate_.

 ~~~~ ~~~~And just like that, the big lizard standing in their way suddenly seems oddly irrelevant. It's liberating, in a way; this creature has been their sworn enemy for eons, their hatred for him being the only thing that's kept them on this planet for so long. From the moment they landed here, they've been driven solely by their need to kill him or die trying.

Now, something else is driving them, and the lizard king is nothing more than a bridge they must cross. Bothersome, but if there's a toll, then so be it.

The Golden Demise bows.

\---

When Rodan sees those three regal heads lower in submission, his jaw drops. His eyes must be lying to him, he thinks-- Ghidorah would _never_. They're a fair distance away, after all. Maybe it's not what it looks like. Maybe he's misinterpreting what he sees. But no... the bow is just long and deliberate enough that it can't be mistaken for anything else. And after several tense moments, Godzilla confirms the impossible by stepping back and roaring his victory.

For an instant, a small, primitive part of Rodan's brain is disappointed. Ghidorah-- his mate, his alpha-- has yielded.

But then that part winks out in a flood of sheer relief, as he realizes the King _accepted_ the surrender. Realizes that, at least for now, he's going to let them live. Rodan won't have to watch them die again today, and maybe... maybe he won't have to watch Agni die either. For the first time since the day he awoke to Ghidorah's otherworldly call, he dares to let himself hope.

\---

As soon as the lizard king acknowledges their surrender, Ghidorah sweeps past him without a second glance. Instinct drives them towards their mate and child, their conflicted thoughts nothing but distant background noise.

But as they draw closer and smaller details start to come into focus, a strange uncertainty overcomes them.

Rodan is hurt. They can see that now: his wings have lost the fire-glow along their edges, and one of them is splayed out on the ground at an unnatural angle. His armored skin is covered in gouges and bite wounds, several still glowing with orange-hot blood. His good wing is drawn protectively around their child, who is watching them with two curious faces.

The child is already nearly as tall as its parent. It can probably fly by now, they think. And they didn't teach it. They didn't see it hatch. They don't know its name. Before today, they didn't know it existed at all.

They slow their steps, before finally stopping just half a wingspan away. They feel like they've just landed on a new planet, and for some reason they don't want to destroy this one.

For a long moment, they do nothing but stare at the parent and child through three pairs of eyes, and watch three pairs of eyes stare back. Their minds are in such a tangle, they can hardly tell which thoughts are coming from where.

' _We failed them/Not our fault/Shouldn't be here/They're afraid/They're ours/Protect them/We did/We will/We can't'_

They want to flee. Back to the ice, back to space, to the empty void between galaxies. They want to turn around and tear out the lizard king's throat for what he did to their mate. They want...

They want something they're not sure they're capable of.

It's not very often that they've felt incapable. They are a living thunderstorm; an interstellar omen of death. Their name is feared by all sentient beings. They've wiped all traces of life from every star system they've encountered, and never looked back. And they take great pride in that, but... how can a thing like them ever do anything _but_ destroy? How can they ever hope to live, even for a moment, like a normal creature?

The little one is becoming impatient. It ducks out from behind its parent's wing and takes a few hurried steps towards them. Rodan squawks in alarm and makes an aborted reach for it, trying to call it back. (A swirl of hot-cold anger-pain goes through them at that. _'He's afraid'/'It's ours'_ San and Ni think at once. Ichi reigns them both in, keeps their attention focused on the child.)

It calls to them. It's too nervous to come any closer now, but it's leaning forward and chirping what almost sounds like a challenge. When Ghidorah fails to respond, it flares its little wings in a pathetic (but heartfelt) attempt at an intimidation display. There's no hostility in it, though; its body language is curious, eager, expectant. It-- _they_ \-- are not saying 'stay back', they're saying 'look at us!'

That electric-bright, suffocating feeling from earlier suddenly swells in their chest again. They have ended millions upon millions of lives, but this one... this one, they _created_.

 _'We are Ghidorah,'_ they think, _'And we can live however we please.'_

They close the rest of the distance.

\---

Rodan's heart is in his throat. He stumbles after Agni, quickly wraps them back up in his good wing and pulls them close.

He wants to trust his mate-- he really does-- but now that he sees them coming towards him, filling his whole field of vision, he can't stop part of his hindbrain from screaming ' _predator_ '. Maybe it's just because he's injured and vulnerable, and Ghidorah is so much bigger than him, and his nerves are already frayed to snapping anyway, but how well does he actually know them? He was only with them for less than a day. As glad as he is to see them alive, he has no idea how they'll react to seeing _him_. Will they blame him for their defeat? Reject him now that they've seen how weak he is?

Or worse, will they reject Agni?

After all this, will they take one good look at their child and decide to finish what Godzilla started?

Ghidorah stops in front of them, his huge shadow blocking out what little light has started to filter through the clouds. Quietly, Rodan thinks that maybe, he has never made a single good decision in his life. He supposes it's fair, then, that he has no control over what happens next. He has forfeited his right to make decisions. All he can do is hold his breath, watch, and wait, as Ghidorah's three great heads lower to meet him and their child.

\--

From up close, the golden titan is even bigger than Agni imagined. Easily twice their height, even with its long necks bending down to look at them. For a second, they're _almost_ afraid. But then they remind theirself how this creature had come crashing down from the sky to protect them, and they remember the brief moment of eye contact they'd made just before the fight really began. They know in their heart that it won't hurt them.

Still, when the three heads draw too close, their parent rumbles a warning sound and pulls his wing around them tighter. (The right head seems to take offense at this, halfheartedly growling back at their parent before returning its attention to them.)

They hold their breath as the three sets of sunset-red eyes study them closely, quiet and intense. They feel small and vulnerable under those gazes, but still they're not afraid. They stare back with equal fascination, taking the opportunity to examine every horn and scale of the other's faces.

 _'They look like us,'_ they think with a rising thrill. A fragile, sneaking suspicion they've had since the fight started gradually starts to take root in their minds.

The other's left head leans forward and gives their right an experimental nudge.

Rodan makes a strangled sound and hugs them tighter, wing-claws digging into their scales. This time, all three of the other's heads lift to growl at him, baring their teeth.

Agni quirms in discomfort and twists their necks around to glare at their parent, squawking at him to let go.

Rodan doesn't look at them, his eyes focused on flicking back and forth between the golden titan's three faces. For a tense moment, it seems like neither is willing back down. But then, hesitantly, Rodan slowly loosens his grip.

Good enough, Agni thinks. They draw theirself up, gathering their courage, and face the golden titan again. Their heart is racing, and they hope hope hope they're not wrong.

Before they have a chance to second guess theirself, they blurt the question out: 'Are you our other parent?'

The three heads draw back slightly in surprise. For a heartbreaking moment, Agni thinks they've made a mistake. But, after a long thoughtful silence, the middle head finally says, 'We are.'

Agni feels a screech rise in their throats. They _knew_ it-- the great golden titan who rent the sky with lightning and pinned the King to the ground is their _parent_!

Does this mean they'll grow up to be that big and strong, too? They hope so. They'd like to see anyone try to boss them around when that day comes.

They resist the urge to squawk like an excited hatchling, though. Their parent-- their _new_ parent-- has such a regal bearing, it wouldn't do to embarrass theirself in front of them. They suppose they should say something, but what? They know next to nothing about their other parent; it had taken a lot of pestering for Rodan to even admit they'd ever existed.

'Papa told us you died,' they say spontaneously.

Their Other Parent's right head snorts. The middle head seems unsure how to respond at first, but after a moment its mouth curls in something like amusement. 'We are not easy to kill,' it says.

Agni grins.

\---

Rodan watches the exchange anxiously, eyeing his (former?) mate's every small gesture and shift in expression. He studies the way they hold theirself, and listens to the tone of their voices as they answer Agni's questions.

Gradually, it starts to sink in that Ghidorah really, truly doesn't mean any harm. Rodan dares to let himself breathe again, dares to finally start feeling safe.

For a moment, he is content. They're together, and they're alive, and right here-- right now-- everything is good.

And then all the fear and pain and grief of the past few hours ( _years_ ) suddenly ignites into red hot fury.

Who does this guy think they are, showing up after all this time and acting like some kind of hero? If they'd arrived just a heartbeat later, Agni would be _dead_. If Mothra hadn't risked her own life to bring them here in the first place, Agni would be dead. If Godzilla hadn't accepted their surrender, Agni would be dead. And now here they are, expecting praise and admiration? Before he can even think to stop himself, Rodan is snapping: 'You sure are confident for someone who just bowed!'

All three of Ghidorah's heads zero in on him, their faces painted in various shades of outrage.

Good, Rodan thinks. Let them feel even half of what he feels. 'If you're so tough, where have you _been_? Surely as long as you're alive, no force on earth could contain you! Were you taking a nap? Did you get lost? Did the humans tame you as a pet?'

Ghidorah snarls and flares their wings, tails raised to show their spikes. Rodan is too angry to be intimidated.

\---

It was too much to hope for that the firebird would keep his mouth shut, they suppose. While Ghidorah's minds are in fairly unanimous agreement about the child (it is theirs, and they will protect it) they're still at war with each other regarding their ~~mate~~ ~~beta~~ ~~servant~~ _temporary partner_. They had hoped they'd be able to ignore him for at least a bit longer. No such luck.

Ni wants to hate him, wants to blame him for everything that went wrong. Can't stop picturing him bowing to that fat lizard (nevermind the fact that they've just done the same) and thinking, _'Traitor, weakling, useless, shouldn't have trusted you, won't ever trust you again.'_

San just keeps remembering the few fleeting hours they'd actually spent with him, how they'd felt invincible in a way they never had before. How even then-- even as they went ahead and declared war on the earth-- some small part of them was already wondering, _'What if...?'_

It's all Ichi can do to drown them both out. _'He is nothing to us,'_ he thinks adamantly, _'And we're nothing to him. He obeyed us because we were the strongest. We are not the strongest anymore. We have nothing to be angry about, and nothing to hope for.'_

They almost manage to believe theirself.

Rodan is looking at them with hard eyes, still waiting for their explanation.

(As though they owe him one.)

( _'Don't we?/We don't.'_ )

'We were hurt,' Ichi says finally.

Rodan huffs. 'So you ran away to hide?'

They bristle with rage/shame/regret, and for a moment they consider letting their temper get the best of them. They may have yielded to the lizard king-- for now-- but they are still perfectly capable of tearing the firebird apart. Perhaps they should remind him of that.

'We were _hurt_ ,' Ichi growls, 'We needed time to recover.'

'By yourself,' Rodan says.

They pause. It sounded like an accusation, but they aren't sure what they're being accused of. 'Of course by ourself,' they say guardedly, 'How else?'

For a moment, Rodan looks ready to keep arguing. But instead, all his rage seems to burn out at once, and he just hangs his head in resignation. 'Right,' he mutters, 'How else.'

He looks exhausted. Ghidorah takes in the sight of him, with his broken wing and his dozen-or-so glowing wounds slowly scabbing over with rock, and remembers just how badly hurt he already is. Quietly, they decide they don't need to hurt him worse.

The little one chirps in distress, butting their heads against Rodan's neck. He lifts his head a little, warbles a reassuring sound and nudges them back.

Ghidorah watches. They slowly relax out of their threat posture, letting their tails lower and their wings fold back at their sides. They can't tell what they're feeling now; can't even tell if it's pleasant or painful. Only that it's bright and sweet and heavy and overwhelming.

They are homesick for a place they've never been.

_'We want that/It's dangerous/We failed them/Should have been here/Here now/Didn't know'_

'We didn't know,' they hear theirself say in three tones at once. Defensive/rational/apologetic. They stop theirself, giving their minds a chance to catch up with their mouths. Then, more carefully, they continue with Ichi's voice only, '...If we knew, we would have come back.'

Rodan lifts his head to peer up at them. They can see his anger still smoldering, but it's only embers now. 'If you came back, you would have known,' he says.

Again, they're being accused of something they don't understand. They suppose he's right, technically-- they could have come back at any time and discovered the child for theirself-- but the option had simply never occurred to them. And why _would_ it? They'd never imagined that their union might have produced offspring. For all they knew, Rodan had died in the final battle anyway, and even if he hadn't--

If he hadn't...

' _Don't want him_ '

' _Don't need him_ '

_'Don't deserve him'_

...They had no other reason to seek him out. They had no more use for him, and he had no more use for them.

So why is he looking at them like they've done something terribly wrong?

(' _Unfair_ ,' Ni thinks, ' _Not our fault_.' Stubborn, irrational. Quietly, Ichi wonders what they're missing.)

San, at least, doesn't bother to dwell on it. All he knows is that they don't like this; they don't want their beta/partner/mate looking at them like that. So he follows his first impulse, which is to act.

He lowers his head down to Rodan's level, slow and unassuming. He tentatively inches closer until his snout bumps against the other's beak, and then hesitates, waiting for a reprimand. When he receives none, he leans properly into a nuzzle.

Rodan tenses and makes a halfhearted warning sound, but otherwise... allows it.

Hope sparks through them. San presses harder, rubbing his cheek down the side of Rodan's neck, soaking in the feeling of the rough hide dragging against his(their) scales.

He's warm, but not as warm as he should be.

San's tongue flicks out, taste-smelling ash and rock and rain. Slowly, he snakes all the way around Rodan's shoulders, trying to cover as much of him as possible, before finally tucking his nose under their mate's beak. ' _Ours_.'

Rodan lets himself lean into the touch, just a little.

They feel something inside them cracking. It's like being roused from hibernation in deep space, when the first rays of a nearby star finally reach their scales and start breathing life back into them.

Ni is terrified. But his terror just mixes with San's joy and Ichi's slowly healing confidence, and it all blends together into breathless exhilaration.

Their child is watching them, trying to puzzle out what's going on. Looking back and forth between their one head wrapped around their mate, and the other two paralyzed with fear-hope- _want_.

After a moment, the child seems to reach some sort of conclusion, and they look at Ichi and Ni with newfound confidence. 'It's okay,' they say decisively, 'Papa yells at us when we leave, too. It just means he loves you.'

They feel Rodan flinch. Like he's been snapped out of a trance, he shakes off San's embrace and turns to glare at the child. 'Agni!'

The two little heads recoil from him. 'What?' they whine, 'It's what you always say!'

'That doesn't mean...!'

The rest of the conversation fades into the background. Ghidorah's minds are full of white noise, and between the three of them, all they can manage to think is, _oh_.

 _Oh_.

Suddenly, they understand. It's just a small, simple truth that San had never thought to question, and Ni had already known but refused to believe, and Ichi had assumed was impossible.

They are not just needed, they are _wanted_.

They look down at their small, weak, ordinary little mate like he's some kind of incomprehensible cosmic phenomenon. He's saying something to them now, but they aren't processing the words.

'You wanted us here,' Ichi says suddenly, cutting him off.

Rodan goes silent, looking startled.

They are caught in the grip of something unstoppable, like a planet being pulled into orbit.

'That's why you're angry,' Ichi continues with rising certainty. 'Even though we lost, and we were injured... you wanted us here.'

Rodan tenses, the plates around his neck fluffing up like feathers. 'So?' he says guardedly, 'You claimed my volcano as your throne, didn't you? If you needed somewhere to hide, you could have hid there.'

They stare at him in disbelief. They're right; he wanted them here.

Why?

Rodan is saying something else now, but they've stopped listening. They don't understand what's happening-- aren't sure they _can_ understand-- so they give up trying. Suddenly it's five years ago, and they're back up in the air with this insane firebird, realizing far too late that their fight has become a dance and all they can do about it now is hold on and let theirself fall.

\---

'I fought for you, remember?' Rodan is saying, 'And I was hurt, too! Did you know that? Did you even think to look?' He's ashamed at how stupid he sounds. He knows he never meant anything to Ghidorah, not really. They're a space alien, for heaven's sake; they probably have no concept of things like mating bonds or trust or even basic cooperation. They're driven purely by the instinct to destroy and dominate everything around them.

...Well. And to protect their offspring, apparently.

(And that should be enough, shouldn't it? Agni is safe, and that's the only thing that matters. But Rodan is angry and selfish and pathetic, and he just can't seem to shut himself up.) 'If I knew you were alive, I would have gone to look for you! But you just let me think you were dead! Of course I'm--'

Ghidorah takes a step closer to him, and his beak snaps shut. Shit, he thinks, did he go too far? Did he make them angry? Why can't he ever just leave well enough alone? He hugs Agni tight to his chest again, ignoring their whine of protest. He watches, warily, as the golden titan crouches down to sit on the rocky ground in front of him.

They're so close now, if they just took a deep breath their belly scales would brush up against his wing. He has to look straight up to see their faces. They're looking down at him and Agni with something vast and bottomless and... surprisingly gentle in their eyes.

Despite himself, Rodan's heart beats faster.

He holds still and watches Ghidorah leans forward, slowly unfolding their wings to stretch out and surround him. They lower all three heads, the left one nosing back into the crook of his neck, the middle reaching over him to rest on his back, and the right just leaning slightly against his shoulder. Suddenly, he's cocooned in gold.

His heart is racing now, and he can't stop the stupid treacherous part of his mind from thinking, _'Maybe I was wrong, maybe this did mean something, maybe--'_

Maybe he really has never made a single good decision in his life. But if that's true, and he's still managed to make it this far, then he sees no reason why he should start now.

He lets himself relax in his mate's embrace.

\---

Somehow, despite the countless questions they're dying to ask, Agni manages to stay quiet. Something serious is happening between their parents, and they don't want to accidentally make it worse. As far as they can tell, Rodan is angry at their other parent for not coming back sooner, and their other parent is... sorry, maybe? They can't quite tell. The golden titan doesn't seem entirely sure theirself.

So Agni watches and waits, doing their best to follow what's happening.

It ends abruptly: Rodan is in the middle of a tirade when the other just suddenly comes forward and surrounds them both with their huge wings. No one says anything, but it must be as good as an apology, because Rodan seems to relax a little, and the hostile atmosphere slowly dissipates.

It only takes a few heartbeats for Agni to start feeling impatient. They're sort of trapped between the two larger titans, and now that everything is apparently okay, they really want to be let go. They want to stretch their wings and fly, to show their new parent what they can do. But they still have some sense of how fragile the moment is, so they wait and try not to squirm. Instead, they look at one of the heads of their new parent-- the only one whose face they can see-- and ask, 'Are you gonna stay with us now?'

That head's eyes open, looking a bit surprised. It hesitates, glancing in the direction of the other two, as though expecting the answer to come from one of them.

Before they can decide on a response, though, Rodan answers in their place: 'Yes. They are.'

Now the other two heads draw back to look at him in disbelief. '...Did you just give us an _order_?' the middle says.

Rodan meets their gaze. For a second Agni thinks they're going to argue again, but there's no real tension. 'Yeah, I guess I did. What are you going to do about it?'

Their other parent rumbles a sound that's not quite a growl. 'Well,' the middle head says carefully, 'As you said, we _did_ claim your volcano as our throne. Therefore, we are entitled to it.'

Rodan huffs and tries to hold back a grin.

Agni doesn't quite understand the subtle nuances of what just happened between them, but they assume it means their new parent is going to stay with them after all. So they grin, too.

\---

The storm has passed.

Mothra watches the reunion with a warm heart. She's certain she made the right choice; not only has the child been given a chance to live, but they've all made the first step towards true peace.

But, slowly, the weight of her King's irritated glare becomes too heavy too ignore. She breathes deeply, in and out, and finally looks down at him. 'Alright, I'm listening.'

Godzilla snorts and shakes her from his head. She flutters to the ground in front of him, making sure to put a respectful distance between them.

'What are you thinking!?' the King thunders, 'Protecting our enemy!?'

'The little one is not our enemy,' Mothra replies, quiet but unshakeable, 'They are a child.'

' _Ghidorah's_ child!'

'Unfortunately.'

Godzilla growls and takes a deliberate step towards her, tail lashing. 'You knew he was still alive. You knew he was weak and vulnerable. I could have found him and killed him easily. But you gave him time to heal.'

'Perhaps.'

Another step. Snarling. Threatening. 'Then you protected our enemy!'

Mothra is unmoved, but her gaze is as soft as it's ever been. 'You were my enemy, once.'

She says it with all the force of a slight breeze, but it stops him dead. There are very few things in the world capable of making Godzilla feel small; mostly vast, unknowable things, like the open ocean or the clear night sky. Occasionally, Mothra is one of them.

Still...

'It's not the same,' he growls. It's just stubbornness now; the righteous fury behind it is gone.

Mothra tentatively returns to her perch on his head, draping her wings around his shoulders. 'When my mind came back to me in my egg, I felt them,' she says softly. 'At first I only felt Ghidorah, clinging to life at the bottom of the world. And I did plan to tell you as soon as I could. But then I felt _them_ , too.'

Godzilla says nothing. Still clearly displeased, but at least willing to listen.

'Their minds were so bright,' Mothra continues, 'I could feel their curiosity, their frustration, their longing to be part of the world.' She looks down at Godzilla, meeting his eyes. 'They have a pure heart, my King. They deserve a chance.'

Godzilla stares her down for a long moment, before finally huffing a sigh. 'You're too soft,' he grouses.

Mothra makes an amused chirp. 'Maybe so, but I'm not a fool. Ghidorah is still weak. If they hadn't yielded, you could have taken them down. You still can, if they step out of line. It was a reasonable chance to take.'

Godzilla grunts. 'And what about when he's recovered?'

'What indeed,' Mothra says thoughtfully.

She looks back at the unlikely family in the distance, and despite himself, Godzilla has to look too. The child has managed to escape from its parents' hold, and is now flying in clumsy circles around its sire's heads. Rodan is watching from underneath one of Ghidorah's wings.

Mothra trills. 'I think that by then, they may have new priorities.'

**Author's Note:**

> (btw, thank u to tumblr anon who suggested the name 'derecho' for this bab. i came very close to using it tbh, and I hope someone else still does! but i mean. agni is a two-headed god of fire and lightning, so once I learned that i legally had no choice )


End file.
